Oil & Fuel Cold rookie mistake

[Gitche Gumee Kid]

My track steer ( ASV RT-50 ) still has summer diesel and would not run more than 5 secons after starting. Been -14 F for several days.
What's my remedy?
Many thanks,
GGK 87 yo rookie

 

[seville009]

No block heater? My ASV PT50 (2009) came with one.

Put a bottle of the red 911 fuel additive in.

Are you using the glow plugs to preheat?

 

[repete]

Drain the tank and refill with winter fuel. Use one of these to heat the tractor for a while then start it up and run the motor till you get the winter fuel in the entire system.

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Forced-Propane-F271390/dp/B00KRFVG5G/ref=asc_df_B00KRFVG5G?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79989588513699&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583589116092248&psc=1

 

[RjCorazza]

Yikes. At that temp with summer fuel the diesel is almost certainly gelled in the tank, lines, and filters. I believe untreated diesel #2 gels at 0 deg f, with the CFPP (Cold filter plugging point) is around +10 deg f.
Personally, I would try tarping the machine with some type of heater underneath, or just leave it for warmer weather.
If you must start it, I guess adding a degelling agent like Power Service 911 would be the way to go. It will likely have to be added to the tank if that fuel is in fact gelled. Replace the filters and fill partially with 911 to move the degelling agent through the lines.
It could be quite a project to get it going in -14 degrees.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

911 red can diesel treatment into your existing fuel, take off the existing fuel filter and fill up with fresh fuel with a new fuel filter and screw it on following the priming instructions (likely a bleeder screw on top of the filter housing.

Summer diesel is number 2, and you should cut that mix with 1/3rd diesel number 1 or kerosene for operating below 24°F

For operating in really cold stuff, your ASV dealer should have cold prep kits that warm the fuel lines, heated fuel filter housing, block heater, ether start systems, engine oil and hydraulic oil heaters, and even more. Trust me, the guys building ASVs know what cold is.

 

[dodge man]

MinnesotaEric has the correct instructions, follow his advice.

 

[ljjhouser]

Or..........When will it be 40 degrees again?

 

[Gordon Gould]

911 red can diesel treatment into your existing fuel, take off the existing fuel filter and fill up with fresh fuel with a new fuel filter and screw it on following the priming instructions (likely a bleeder screw on top of the filter housing.

Summer diesel is number 2, and you should cut that mix with 1/3rd diesel number 1 or kerosene for operating below 24°F

For operating in really cold stuff, your ASV dealer should have cold prep kits that warm the fuel lines, heated fuel filter housing, block heater, ether start systems, engine oil and hydraulic oil heaters, and even more. Trust me, the guys building ASVs know what cold is.

^^^ This is basically what I did after forgot the Stanydyne one time but never again.And I was no rookie so don't feel bad. Can happen to anyone.
Cut fuel in tank by about 50% with kerosine and added PowerService 911 for good measure. Could see globs of wax suspended in tank. Changed filter. It was a bowl and cartridge type - solid wax. Tarped machine and heated to free up fuel lines and pump.

gg

 

[grsthegreat]

Im so glad every station up where i live use winter grade blended diesel. I use no additives, nor have i ever, since i moved here in 1996. When i lived in montana in the 1980’s, we had to manually mix diesel 1 and 2 together to protect equipment in the winter, as it wasn’t available for the bulk tanks.

 

[ruffdog]

Starting Wednesday it should be getting warmer up there. For the normal winter fuel treatments, it should be dosed and mixed above freezing to work. If you can, wait for a warmer day to suck out half the fuel and dump in some #1 fuel. You will probably have to change out the fuel filter and remember the bleeding process.

 

[Billrog]

No need to drain any fuel just follow some of the good advice min and Gordan gave eg replace fuel filter for sure.

 

[Creamer]

Put a little tent around your tractor and put a heater in it. With the combination of warming outdoors and little extra heat you can ungel your fuel and run it normally and then cut your fuel with #1 or kerosene as recommended and life goes on. If time is on your side don't worry about it and use the weather to help you.

 

[Gitche Gumee Kid]

TY. Great prompt responses. Going to try new filter advice ----->tarp the unit and pick up that Buddy Heater ( forced air )
GGK

 

[Egon]

As stated: Tarp and heat till fuel is no longer gelled. Add fuel treatment and run tractor till all the gelling is gone. Then add proper fuel.
Note: additives containing alcohol are Hard on fuel pump.

 

[nyone]

No block heater? My ASV PT50 (2009) came with one.

Put a bottle of the red 911 fuel additive in.

Are you using the glow plugs to preheat?

Block heater wont turn the fuel in the lines or the tank back to liquid. Neither will 911. You will need to cover it and get heat on it...or get it in a heated garage.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm guessing that 30% of the money I spend on diesel treatment is wasted. But I don't have cold weather problems with my diesel equipment. Have made that mistake. It sucks. So I start treatment early. End treatment late.

 

[repete]

In our fire department station generators I would use a mixture of 30% #1 with 70% #2 as we did not get "winter fuel" on the west side of the Cascades because "it never gets that cold here".

Unfortunately it does on rare occasions get to 0F on this side and I was not about to go out in those temps and try to get a generator functioning. Ya, I lost some BTU (HP) out of the unit but that was negligible.

 

[ovrszd]

In our fire department station generators I would use a mixture of 30% #1 with 70% #2 as we did not get "winter fuel" on the west side of the Cascades because "it never gets that cold here".

Unfortunately it does on rare occasions get to 0F on this side and I was not about to go out in those temps and try to get a generator functioning. Ya, I lost some BTU (HP) out of the unit but that was negligible.

Fortunately I can treat my fuel and get by on straight #2. I notice considerable HP loss with a 50/50 blended fuel in the road grader. I don't work my tractors hard enough to notice.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Block heater wont turn the fuel in the lines or the tank back to liquid. Neither will 911. You will need to cover it and get heat on it...or get it in a heated garage.

Pushback: it takes time to slug a filter if the fuel line isn't plugged, so 911 red bottle, combined with the right mix of 1/3rd diesel 1 or kerosene, combined with the right mixture of cold-weather diesel in a new fuel filter should be enough to start diluting the wax.

That said, because the fuel filter slugged, the high pressure pump should not be slugged so as soon as it gets some properly mixed fuel from the fuel filter, it too should start to work right as well.

You'd should only need to preheat the engine to be nice to it (I don't want to hear the crank and connecting rods, or piston slap for the first two minutes of running), or if it was so old the engine has lost compression and is weak, or it doesn't have glow plugs, or it is stupid cold outside.

 

[seville009]

Block heater wont turn the fuel in the lines or the tank back to liquid. Neither will 911. You will need to cover it and get heat on it...or get it in a heated garage.

Correct. The reason that I said that is because his fuel is probably not gelled. I am in the NE in subzero temps occasionally and my ASV PT-50 has never had the fuel gel.

I use the oem block heater, which is very useful in cold temps.

If I don’t use the block heater, it will start, but take a few seconds to “catch” and idle properly. Just let it run for about ten minutes to get everything warmed up.

I use summer diesel in the winter (from diesel cans filled during the summer for the ZTR); never had a gelling issue. I put some “Diesel Kleen” (or whatever it is) (silver bottle) in each of my diesel cans.

To sum up, he may not have a gelling issue. He needs to check.